ComplaintsforABC Home & Commercial Services

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I prepaid *** Home and Commercial Services $265 for an annual HVAC check up service of my HVAC system. When I called in late May/early June to schedule my ********************* check up, they could not schedule me any earlier than mid-September. I explained that I was selling my house in mid-July. They said to call back in late June. On Friday (7/5/2004) they said I could not get an appointment any earlier than mid-September. Since my last check up was in December, I asked for half my money back. They said no that each check up was valued at $198 and they would only refund $67 even though I only received half the service. Again, they would not schedule my June service in a timely manner. This is wrong on two different levels.

  

  Business response

  07/08/2024

  We believe this to be resolved. We have spoken to the customer and he has accepted our offer to provide the service as originally paid for. 

  Thank you.
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Tuesday, July 2, our water pressure was low and we called the city to have them verify they were providing the appropriate water pressure. Upon checking, they confirmed the appropriate water pressure was provided and that our pressure release value was failing and that in the process of evaluating our water pressure, it broke. We called *** and they said that they could send someone out and instead of $69 to come out, it would be $140 because it was after hourswhich we agreed to. It took about about an hour from when he arrived to completing the repair. The average total price of the part is $200, plus the average labor, the total overall charge varies between $200-$800. The gentleman said it would take 2-3 hours so we thought there was a major issue that had to be resolved, and we were quoted a total $1,600 in addition to the $140 service call fee. We agreed that the price based on the quote and amount of labor required. From arrival to completed repair was an hour, which was considerably less than initially quoted, but the final price was still the same. They were not transparent that they were also going to inflate the costs of the parts and labor for it being an after hours repair. We were mislead and they took advantage of the fact that we have small children and that our home had no water to overcharge us.We would like a partial refund because based on all of the above, we should have been charged half of what we were.

  

  Business response

  07/11/2024

  Hello, thank you for allowing us to respond to the customer.Issues around pricing can be problematic because there are several things that quality plumbing companies take into consideration that the customer may not fully understand until an opportunity for explanation arises.

  The customer was given the option of an after-hours service call with a travel fee of $139, or schedule for the following day during regular hours. The customer chose the option of the after-hours service call.
  The technician arrived on site, assessed the issue, and built the written estimate for the total job. The technician presented it to the customer and the customer approved and signed for it before any work was performed.
  Our pricing model (like most all residential plumbing companies) utilizes what the industry refers to as flat rate pricing. Flat rate pricing is a turnkey, upfront pricing model which allows the customer to see in writing the total cost of the job parts, labor and taxes and decide beforehand if they would like to proceed. Contrast that with the old approach of saying we charge $XXX an hour and dont know exactly how many hours it will take.Plus, there will be a parts charge, too. In that model, the customer has little to no idea of the total cost of the job. Flat rate pricing is based on nationwide info of how long specific plumbing jobs take. Some jobs end up taking less time than the quoted average and some take more. The homeowner benefits by knowing in advance what the bill will be, and the plumbing company benefits by being able to schedule appointments with customers by having an approximation of how long every job in the customer queue might take.
  The customer did ask him how long the water would be off,because he had children in the house and needed his water on. Most times, when a customer signals a sense of urgency or desired expediency, technicians will proceed with a heightened sense of speed. The plumber answered and communicated along the lines of it may be a couple of hours, because I dont know what all is under the ground and wont know until I dig the hole and see the valve. The technician then proceeded to work as rapidly as possible to restore water to the home. The job went smoothly/quickly because all piping in & out of the valve was in good shape, and the disassembly of the old valve and the installation of the new valve proceeded about as well as is possible.

  The flat rates used were all correct. GPS shows him at the home for a little over an hour. He had all the parts readily available on his truck and the skills to restore their water as soon as possible with an all new (not used), bronze body (high quality) valve in place of the plastic one originally installed.

  Those last couple of items are the way *** has made the decision to conduct business. Stock the trucks full of as much inventory as possible and use only high quality parts. In this case, because we had the part on the truck, the repair was still able to be made after hours when plumbing parts stores were already closed. Additionally, the quality of the part ensures it will be many years before the customer faces replacement of their PRV again.Said another way if a plumber goes out on an after-hours service call and cant complete the job because parts arent available at that hour, how well has the homeowner been served?

  Additionally, lets examine the inflated part cost mentioned.The part and the labor for the part is now covered under warranty for a year by ***. If there should be a problem with the part, it will be repaired or replaced by *** at no cost to the customer. Offering that bumper to bumper warranty is why we must markup the cost of the part.

  In short, *** strives to provide the best value available for homeowners when it comes to home repairs and services. We hire only licensed and background checked plumbers, we fully stock their vans with parts and tools to quickly complete repairs, and were available 24 hours a day,seven days a week. Along the way we pay fair wages to our employees, provide them with medical insurance, and enable them to be good citizens &neighbors in the cities we serve.

  *** management stands by our plumber and the decisions made regarding pricing.

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Last two years the cannot bill straight. I have provided canceled checks and list of dates of service and they refuse to reply. They owe me ****** dollars. i had been a customer for 15 years. The have outgrown and do not care about residential customers anymore. Five years ago i asked about only outside services and they said no and now they are offering it. I have all the proof of their financial problems they are creating.

  

  Business response

  05/29/2024

  Thank you for being a past customer and reaching out.

  Respectfully, there is no refund to be had. **** explained to the best of our ability in different phone calls that there has been no overpayment. Additionally, weve sent a certified letter with detailed payment notes April 11th and it was returned as unclaimed. The letter was sent after you gave us the ultimatum of responding by May 1. That was also after we had already credited-off more than $165 as a demonstration of appreciation for your years as a customer, and because you were upset.

  Also, going forward, we respectfully request you go elsewhere and choose other companies for services you may require. Because of your abusive language, threats to retaliate, as well as words indicating violence to our vehicles and/or drivers (copies attached here), we do not believe its in ABCs best interest to further service your home.

   Thank you for your past patronage and good luck in the future with all your home service needs.

  Customer response

  05/29/2024

  Complaint: 21729175
  
  I am rejecting this response because:information supplied is incorrect. Reason for undeliverable:mail is my misspelled name. After 15 years you think you could get this correct. i will check with bank. 
  Regards,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We requested a diagnosis of an AC not working. The initial estimate quoted by the technician was $1,000. As I questioned him, and pushed info from other experts, his story about what was wrong with our unit and his charge for services changed.

  

  Business response

  05/03/2024

  We regret any confusion regarding the service call & billing the customer and we appreciate the customer's willingness to discuss her concerns with our AC Manager. The agreed upon refund of $324.25 will be processed and the customer is welcome to call out manager back with any questions or future needs.

  Customer response

  05/03/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  The service manager was willing to listen to my experience, and offered to do what was needed to reestablish trust with his business.  I am appreciative of his attentiveness, and willingness to adjust our bill in order to make amends.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  04/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  *** rodent service applied unnecessary sealing on sections of my roof where it was not needed and missed key obvious areas. They also damaged some roof tiles, dropped and left behind large screws in one of my flowerbeds, and refused to use proper traps for longer than 48 hrs. Afterwards, I had a roofer come inspect ***s work and I was left with $2300 bill for repairs.Poor craftsmanship and leadership: overpromising quality of product and services while delivering poorly; grossly overpriced; lacking service-leadership due to profiting/commission motives.

  

  Business response

  05/03/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to detail the work performed.

  To recap the delivery of service:
  -Customer called in for rodent services on Wednesday, 3/27,*** inspector went out next day to evaluate the scope of work and provide pricing options.
  -Exclusion work started on Monday 4/1 and was mostly completed Friday, 4/5 with trapping of animals (and minor sealings) each day the following week, through 4/16.
  -********************** was selected as the primary Specialist for this exclusion as he is a rodent supervisor with extensive experience, and has earned the highest classification of A-Level Rodent Tech.
  -Service Managers for Rodent Services & Lawn (there were discussions of lawn work which are unrelated to the rodent exclusion work) were involved in their respective services through the process.

  The work was well performed, with extensive oversite of supervisors and management, and *** stands by what was a fair bid for the work.Fair enough for the customer to accept and to sign the proposal before work commenced. We stand by the upfront estimate of the job and the work performed and will not discount it.

  As to the roof in question. *** is aware of the customer having a roofer come out and claiming to have repairs done to the roof. It is our belief that some or all of those repairs were unrelated to ANY work performed by ***. At no time were we asked to be at the house to meet with the roofing contractor and see the scope of repairs that makes up any part of the $2300 dollars the customer is claiming as ***s responsibility.

  We would have been glad to be there to hear any reasonable explanation of the damage caused by ***. However, the notion that any contractor would accept another contractors invoice after the fact, while having no visibility into the necessity, rationale or scope of the work purportedly performed, is well outside the scope of any accepted business practice.
  Lastly, when our senior Pest Director called the customer to discuss any potential resolutions, including sending someone out to see any of the purported issues, the customer became verbally belligerent and hung-up on the *** representative - the recording of that call is available to be heard.

  It is also worth noting that *** has informed the customer we no longer wish to be engaged by him for ANY kind of work. We do not wish to ever have our employees placed in a situation where a customer becomes belligerent & combative.

  There is no credit forthcoming unless the roofing contractor can demonstrate which portion of any needed repairs were the responsibly of ***.

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I payed this company to install a water softner and a reverse osmosis drinking water system in my house. Recently, I discovered worms coming out on our drinking water and called *** Home and Commercial hoping they could come and clean / replace whatever is wrong with the water filter *********** Home and commercial want me to pay 89 dollars (plus tax) to have a technician come and diagnose the issue, with potentially more costs down the line to fix this. I purchased a feature and system that would provide my family with healthy drinking water and instead we have worm parasites coming out of the water filter. *** home and commercial want me to assume the costs of fixing the issue with the water system they installed even after their negligence has impacted my family's health. I would like a full refund from this company and would encorage anyone thinking of doing business with them to reconsider.

  

  Business response

  03/21/2024

  An *** Water Quality Manager called, and spoke to *************** on 3/19 to discuss his concerns. He then arranged an appointment time to see *************** and evaluate his water system.

  Two senior, ***, Water Quality managers went to the home on 3/20. As a courtesy to *************** we removed his reverse osmosis storage tank and drained it into a bucket with *************** present & observing. The managers also took all three filters the system contains and cut them in half so he could see inside of each one. Additionally, the system was sanitized by flushing it. Afterwards, *** replaced all the filters at no charge. There were absolutely no issues with his water.
  

  Additionally, and most importantly, the managers explained to *************** there are three filters in the system and the 1st stage filters water to 5 microns.  Then, additional membranes in the system filter water to ***** microns and 5 microns, respectively. For reference, the *** representatives explained that a human hair is approximately 50 microns in diameter, and the filters catch any items smaller than that.

  The customer was thankful and again trusts his water supply. At this point, *** believes the concerns the customer had are alleviated and no further action is required.         
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Account number: ******** Date of first transaction / service agreement / First Payment : July, 31, 2023 On a recorded service phone call I, ************************* agreed to a 1 to 3 ***** of *********** Home pest control service with first payment of $239.00 plus taxes for a total of $258.72 due before scheduling first treatment service. I was informed by CSR on phone and also by the technician that was sent out to do an home assessment and also as well by the technician who treated my home that the Agreement I was signed up for included up to 2 more treatments within the next few months at a cost of only $20 per next two treatments, that if I still needed / wanted more treatments that They would start me on a whole new billing cycle at the same price for three more treatments. I did not get a copy and contract emailed to me until after the first treatment service man left my home. I then later received a a noticed that I have a past due bill of ____ and for me to receive services for the following scheduled treatment day that I need to pay my past due bill. when logging on I see that I am being scheduled for by monthly treatments for the next year yet charged for these treatments monthly and was already charged for a month in between that I had agreed for them to come back out before noticing these charges and changes to my billing / service customer account. First ********************** order / invoice number ********* Tech Name: ******************************* on 08/02/2023 Second Invoice: P226643 09/01/2023 $49.80 Third Invoice: P226643-1 10/01/2023 $49.80 Pre charged monthly scheduled invoices set up from 11/2023 to 8/2023 Total of bill of $597.54 I called two sperate ***** to have these discrepancies corrected and asked that if the issues can not or will not be corrected before sending anyone out for a second treatment then I wanted to cancel any further services because I did not agree to any of these charges or to this type of treatment schedule.I was refused correction and denied being granted cancelation. Company still sent out a tech and I had to tell them I had cancelled and do not want them entering my home or on my property. *** Home Pest Control Services San Antonio, *************************** ************** License: TPCL ****, TECL *****, ***********, TICL 587, M32147, ACR-*******, B-*****, ********* LI0002669

  

  Business response

  11/22/2023

  We regret any confusion about the billing, it is a normal billing practice and is designed to bill every month instead of every other month months, in order to achieve a lower monthly cost. Nevertheless, we've cancelled any future work and billing and have refunded the the requested amount.

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have used *** as my pest control people for years and they have been great in that aspect, however I decided to use their company to cut back a couple of oak trees for us. They came and did an assessment and sent me a price and I agreed. The guy that came to do the job was there for about 10 minutes then called me to see if anyone was home to come check his work and I said yes. Well he never knocked on the door so my husband could come take a look. When I came home it didnt really look like they had done much so I called and asked if they could please trim a little more above the driveway. The guy was hesitant at first saying he felt his guy did exactly what he wrote up already. He then said he would send his boss over to tell him if they could cut anymore for the price he had already quoted me. I never heard back and then someone showed up without my knowledge to do the work but I was sleeping due to working an overnight shift. I then reached out and apologized to the same person I had when texting back and forth with and he never replied. I then called and spoke to someone and he was very nice and said he would get with that *** and his boss to make sure I got taken care of. Well a couple weeks went by and I never heard from anyone. Then I get a receipt from them for $597.44. They had charged my credit card I had attached to my pest control account without my permission. I then message them on my account stating I did not authorize them to use that card and also they never completed the job. Still no response. I am very disappointed with their tree services. They did a horrible job and their customer service is just terrible. I really expected more from them. I have never dealt with such bad customer service. The feel like they just do not care and because of that I cancelled my pest control with them as well.

  

  Business response

  11/09/2023

  Thanks for the opportunity to respond to this issue. A key facet is *** was unaware of it being an ongoing problem until receiving the communication from BBB. In a way, that has been a microcosm of the way the whole interaction has occurred.

  **************** hired us to do tree trimming. The process is to send an arborist/sales representative out to examine and evaluate the requested work. We prepare a written estimate after speaking with the homeowner and looking at the environment. If approved, we schedule the work when the crews schedules, technical requirements, and weather align. In this case, the customer approved the estimate in writing and the work was scheduled after the initial meeting. No money changed hands; the job was to be billed after it was complete - $547.

  On the scheduled day, the crew sent a message to alert that we were on our way for the service. We arrived and performed the original scope of work. The crew did knock on the door and called the customer to have a vehicle removed from the driveway where a tree needed pruning. No answer to the phone calls but eventually, after approximately two hours, they were able to speak with her through the doorbell camera. Again, the crew requested the vehicles to be moved. ***************** instructed them to continuously ring the doorbell until her husband came to the door. He never did. The crew then departed for that day.  One day later, ***************** contacted the office stating she wanted more trimming done. That same day, the sales representative went by again and approved the additional work at no extra charge with ****************. Note: this meant *** needed to send a crew an additional time, perform additional work, but the arborist agreed to waive the additional charge as a courtesy.
   
  The customer was notified via phone that the crew would be returning, and cars parked in the driveway beneath where the customer was requesting the additional work, would need to be moved.  Two days later, the crew went back out to do the additional work, the crew sent a text message when they were on their way and also called. ***************** failed to respond both times. Additionally, when the crew arrived, they knocked on the door to notify the Porters they were there and to again request the cars in the driveway be moved. No one answered the door after multiple knocks and ringing the doorbell. Without the vehicles being moved, the project was completed by tying off the branches, enabling them to cut the limbs and lower the branches to the side, instead of more quickly being able to drop the branches because of the cars still unmoved and located below them. The failure to move the cars meant the crew did more work and spent more time than agreed to.
   
  Approximately two weeks later the office gets a call that she wanted to cancel her pest control service because her credit card on file was charged for the original tree trimming service. Our policy is to bill for work completed when the customer has provided a credit card. A supervisor explained this to **************** and pointed out that she had approved the original work dollar amount.
   
  After that, there was no other communication. No request to talk to a Supervisor or the original arborist to discuss the agreed upon charges. It is worth noting, the additional work performed, was at our expense.
   
  *** believes strongly in customer satisfaction and always strives to communicate as clearly and as well as circumstances allow. However, in this case, *** stands behind the actions and customer service efforts of all employees and stands by our billing as it has occurred.
  

  
  

  Customer response

  11/10/2023

  Complaint: 20784504
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The statements on their response are not accurate and some are even lies. I have text messages between me and **** showing no final response from him. I also have a ring doorbell that never went off to show the work to my husband who was home at the time and right after they called me to have him check it they did not even knock on my door to show my husband. Our ring doorbell did not go off so I know they did not even attempt to knock on our door. Also, **** told me he was sending his supervisor over to approve the extra trimming and instead someone came to do the work without me knowing therefore I did not know to move my car out of the drive way. He did call hit like I said in the first message I was asleep due to working the graveyard shift that night. Since I did not answer I did attempt to text **** like we had been doing and he did not ever respond to me. I did call the company once again and spoke to continue else who ensured me someone would reach back to me eorhet **** or his supervisor. Well that never happened. I even sent them a message through my account and still no answer. I am so disappointed at the false information they are responding with. I not one but three times to call or message and nothing until I file this BBB report and now w that are not even taking responsibility from their poor customer service. 
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  11/30/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond and we regret the long period of time to do so. 
   
  This was a complex service because of the difficult nature in being able to communicate with both parties in the home. While the original work was complete, and while *** performed additional work at no charge on an additional trip to the home, we recognize our communications efforts could have been handled more efficiently. In order to demonstrate good will, we will refund $200 of the previously billed amount. If this is satisfactory to the client, we will issue the credit upon their acceptance.
  
  

  Customer response

  12/01/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have an A/C under warranty for at least 4 more years that has been on/off working since about Easter time. ****** is the maker purchased from ******** who then sold to **** They acquired us and our warranty. It has been fully inoperable at least 5 times and have been out at least **** times mostly over the summer, and they have replaced all parts thus far rebuilding the unit. Some of these instance occurred on a Friday therefore leaving us with no A/C an entire weekend. They brought out a rep finally on the last visit and replaced another part, and it is still not working properly. We are still having to go outside and manually reset the relay, if we notice it is not cooling to the correct temp. It has worked at most 29 days straight, but they have been out almost every 2-3 weeks. We have 2 small kids and this has been a MAJOR inconvenience for us all. I want our unit replaced as it is under warranty. *** has tried to make it right, and I believe they are getting the run around from the warranty company, therefore giving us the run around. This is completely unacceptable.

  

  Business response

  08/25/2023

  We share the frustration the ***** family feels. That particular brand of AC equipment is not one we normally recommend. *** didn't sell, design, install or receive any compensation from the sale of the system, but we are happy to have inherited the ***** family as customers from Texsperts. In order to assist the ***** family, we have made multiple trips there to examine and service the equipment. All of that time & work has been at no charge to the *******. When totaled up, the time on site has been about 11 hours and the work billed would have been in the $2500 range.

  Unfortunately, we have little to no leverage with the manufacturer - we don't sell that equipment. However, we are willing to continue to encourage the manufacturer to honor the extended warranty the ******* purchased from the manufacturer. If the ******* will endorse it, we will contact local Daiken representatives and attempt to get someone from Daiken onsite with the *******. We will also have an *** AC expert there to advocate for the *******.  

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On June 27th, ******************************** our range hood vent and called **** *** visited our home and we hired them to remove the animal that same day. Over the next two weeks, *** came to our house and inspected the attic and roof at least three separate times. During each visit, *** was told about sounds comingfrom the same vent, and they always assured us there was no animal in that particular vent. By July 10th, the smellcoming from the vent had become unbearable, so *** was called once again. This time they removed a mouse from the attic, but continued to insist that there was no animalstuck in the range hood vent. The next day, on July 11th (exactly 2 weeks after *** was hired),HUNDREDS of maggots started coming down the range hood vent. We eventually took the range hood down ourselves only to discover, as we had been saying all along, that there was in fact a deal squirrel in the vent, still covered in maggots.As a consequence of***'s failure to perform the jobthey were hired to do, we had to hire a cleaning service twice. We also had to buy and install a new range hood. Moreover, we had an unusablekitchen for about 3 weeks.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  *** wishes to apologize for the handling of this service call. While any service call involving a wild animal can be unpredictable &novel, *** could have performed better in this case.

  *** will refund the full amount of $1094.41 upon acceptance of the offer by **********************************. The amount listed also includes $188.36 as the initial treatment for ongoing pest control for crawling insects. Although that amount is unrelated to the $906.05 for the rodent trapping, we will also refund the initial pest control payment as a gesture of good will. Unless ********************************** specifies another method, we would refund the money back to the credit card used for purchase.

  We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to re-earn your business if appropriate.

  NOTE: The vent pipe from the hood is completely open and unconstrained in the attic. In other words, without a screen over the open pipe or fully venting of the pipe outside the envelope of the home, any number of insects and rodents can and will continue to enter the pipe. *** recommends having work performed by someone to prevent additional animal & insect entries into the open vent pipe.

  Customer response

  08/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩